The present invention concerns measuring devices, and in particular concerns a device to facilitate measuring the back and the seat of a chair.
It is desirable to take measurements on a chair in a manner that is closely associated with the way an occupant is supported on the chair so that the data reflects the reality of an occupant being supported on the chair. However, many modern chairs are difficult to measure in this way. For example, many modern chairs include occupant supporting surfaces formed by a combination including fabric and foam supporting the fabric, which fabric and foam are three-dimensionally contoured and have physical properties chosen to provide aesthetics and maximum comfort. The combination of the foam and fabric, and also the contour, provide a complex acting support that makes it difficult to accurately and repeatably measure chairs in a uniform "standard" manner that reflects the way in which a human body is supported. Specifically, aside from the fact that each human body is proportioned differently, it is difficult to engage the chair in a repeatable manner even if an optimal standard is agreed upon. For example, the elasticity of fabrics and the tension of the fabrics in assembled chairs vary between chair models, and vary even within a given chair model. Further, the contour makes the fabric elastically deform in a complex three dimensional manner. Still further, the compressibility and density of the foam vary. Thus, even if the same technician is used to place the measurement device on a chair, it is difficult to position the device exactly in the same position, especially given the contoured surface of the cushioned seat.
In one commonly used test for measuring seats (see pages 74-75 of the booklet submitted herewith entitled ANSI/HFS 100-1988, American National Standard for Human Factors Engineering of Visual Display Terminal Workstations), a template including a pair of pivotally connected elongated members is used. One elongated member is placed on the chair seat and the other is placed against the chair back. The template is then adjusted by a given procedure and measurements are taken. However, the template is two dimensional, and thus cannot account for or measure a chair having three-dimensionally contoured occupant supporting surfaces. Further, the template is not self stabilizing, and thus the data taken by use of the template is very sensitive to operator variability. For example, the data is sensitive to the amount of pressure applied by the test technician for holding the template against the seat and back.
Thus, a measuring device anti method solving the aforementioned problems are desired.